Awakenings
by crueltyofagoddess
Summary: After a mishap with yet another portal-opening item, Emma ends up in Fairy Tale Land all by her lonesome. That is, until the King nearly runs her down with his carriage and then offers to take her back to his castle for the night. And who should she find there but the drop-dead gorgeous, terribly neglected Queen Regina? *Slow burn SQ/canon followed randomly/implied domestic abuse.*
1. Chapter 1

A jagged ribbon of obscenities came sputtering out of Emma Swan's mouth as she hit solid ground. Palms red, cheeks flushed, she stood up and dusted herself off. _Aw, shit, _she thought. _She told me not to touch anything, but I didn't think she was that serious._

Hands on hips, she looked over her surroundings. _Great, so I'm in the forest, _she concluded._ Which means I gotta walk all the way back to Regina's and try to convince her not to kill me before I have the chance to take a whiz. _She sighed and began her way toward what she hoped was home. _Another thing we can add to the list of portal-opening shit. Maybe if she wasn't living in a friggin' mansion, I wouldn't have gotten lost on my way to the friggin' – _

The sound of hooves laced with the creaking of wheels made her pause. _When was the last time someone went for a carriage ride in the woods? _In the moment it took for her to consider the possibility of a threat, the source of her confusion appeared before her, coming to a stop only after clipping the side of Emma's abdomen and throwing her, for the second time in the span of a few minutes, face-first in the dirt.

"What the hell?" She yelled, wiping her lips with the back of her hand. She glanced up, unable to keep from doing a double-take. _Are you kidding me? A freakin' carriage. A real freakin' carriage! Wait a second… _The thought was interrupted though, as the door of the vehicle opened, and an older, elaborately-dressed man stepped out.

"My lady, are you injured?" His voice was kind. He extended his hand to her, and she used it to pull herself to a standing position.

"No…my gentleman, I seem to be alright."

"Pardon my asking, but you appear faint and somewhat distressed, are you lost?" Emma's instincts told her to go along with it until she could suss out her exact whereabouts.

"Yeah…I think I might be."

"Allow me to assist you then. Do you know where it is you're headed? I could take you there."

"Have you heard of a town called Storybrooke?" She figured it was a near-useless inquiry, having just come to the realization that she definitely wasn't in Kansas anymore.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't. My kingdom is vast, and unfortunately I can't say I know the name of each and every village that lies within it. Though it must be close if you travelled on foot."

"Must be…" She mumbled, still dazed at the difference between what she had imagined her night was going to be like compared to whatever Renaissance skit was currently taking place in front of her.

"As twilight is fast approaching, and the forest at dark is no place for an unaccompanied young woman, may I suggest you return to my castle with me as your escort until the morning, when all of this can be properly sorted out?"

She considered her options: Go with the dude who claims to be ruler of this place, or spend x amount of time merely attempting to reach the edge of the woods…_and then possibly find another portal-opening…thing? _Both could end dismally, she knew, but at least with the King she'd have shelter for the night.

"I appreciate and accept the offer, Your Majesty." He smiled warmly, gesturing for her to take his hand once more in order to help her into the carriage. She did so, and as they settled in, he began to speak of his home and his family, in particular – his beloved late wife, Eva, his beautiful daughter, Snow, and, mentioned almost off-hand, Regina, the Queen.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time they reached the castle, Emma had a pretty good idea of what she was in for. Her escort had described the royal family at great length, and, circumstances aside, she smirked at the idea of her mother as a kid - energetic, idealistic, and almost irritatingly cheerful.

_I doubt she's changed much, _Emma thought. _How old would she be? _By the sound of it, she guessed somewhere between 8 and 12.

She couldn't help but also find herself intrigued by the few brief mentions of the queen. In conversation though, Regina was barely elevated above the status of step-mother to the princess. She pondered for a moment the age the brunette would be in comparison, realizing she knew little about this time in her life. Not that Regina had ever been very forthcoming about such things, but to someone who regularly filtered out whole chunks of her pre-Storybrooke existence for the comfort of both strangers and loved ones alike, it now seemed like an oddly familiar tactic.

As she observed the servants of the king's household readying for the night, it didn't escape Emma that this could have been the backdrop of her childhood memories, if only the story had been written with a somewhat happier middle.

She was led to the entrance of what appeared to be a sitting room - a large fireplace surrounded by two ornate, but rather comfy-looking chairs, and behind those, two couches arranged across from each other. In one of the chairs, she easily recognized a drowsy young Snow. She watched the girl's face brighten at the sight of her and the king.

"Father!" She cried out gleefully, running to embrace him. The king knelt down and wrapped his arms around her.

"And how is my little princess today?"

"Your little princess opened every cage in the castle this afternoon." Emma looked to where the voice had come from - _that voice. _She could hardly make out the Queen's silhouette on the furthest side of one of the couches. She watched as it rose and the woman walked into the light of the fire. _Regina. _And just as if she had spoken it out loud, Regina glanced at her; a familiar hostility brewing underneath her regal facade.

"I didn't mean to cause trouble, I swear! It's just that… I don't think any living creature deserves to be locked up. It's not right, Father."

"My dear," the king sighed, his voice retaining its smooth tone, "what you say is true, but not always. Some things are too lovely to risk losing, for fear that they may injure themselves, and be gone forever. And some things," he continued, placing his hand on the young girl's shoulder, "are born to be put in a cage. They exist at our pleasure, as the sun allows a flower to bloom. It is a virtue of nature."

Snow appeared to consider this before turning to look at Emma, her excitement bubbling up once more. She curtsied, and lifted her gaze to the newcomer.

"My name is Snow."

"Uh...hi. I'm Emma, Emma Swan." She immediately scolded herself for using her real name, though she doubted she could have come up with much better.

"Where did you come from, Lady Swan?"

"Oh, lord," Emma winced, "you can call me Emma."

"Yes, where did you come from...Emma?" Regina's voice shot through her like a breath of sharp, cold air. Actually, she _was_ finding it a bit difficult to breathe all of a sudden.

"You must excuse my wife's eagerness to take up your attention. She doesn't know the exhaustion you must be feeling now. I'll have a servant show you to your chambers."

Emma's relief at the suggestion was apparent. It was beginning to seem like she might be in this for the long haul, and at least this would give her some time to create a solid backstory should any specific inquiries be made tomorrow morning. _Piece of cake, _she thought. _I mean, this is literally my specialty. Toss in a couple of details from that Merlin show Regina made me burn through with her on Netflix. Wallah! You got yourself a regular ol' medieval life. _

The woman who stared at her as she was shown out of the room was slightly more intimidating than the one pictured in her mind's eye; throwing popcorn at her for jokingly insisting that Merlin and Arthur could only ever be friends. _"But the tension!" _She would cry.

Emma smiled, and then pursed her lips as she realized that the Regina she had met minutes ago was not the one she knew - not yet. As evidenced by Snow's age, she understood that this Regina was years from making the decision that would change everything. If she wouldn't be given the opportunity to understand those actions through friendly conversation, perhaps she would be privy to a keyhole view of the reasons why...

Not that she was sure she wanted one, and certainly not this way. But without another option to choose from (_Track down Rumple? Unlikely)_, it seemed that she was stuck. That is, either until she found, and then properly executed, the spell that could bring her back _(er, forward) _to the correct time and place, or... Emma closed the door of her temporary bedroom, leaning against it as she tried to think this through. _Or ask Regina for help while still ensuring my eventual birth without prematurely dying via fireball to the face. _She slumped to the floor. _Whatever happened to the savior getting a few days off from these damn fairy tale shenanigans, hm? _


	3. Chapter 3

**Very short chapter, but important! Also, character death warning! But not what you might think… I'm going to try to update this weekly from now on, if not more. I've got a pretty good idea of where I want this story to go, and I'm excited to see it to the end. :)**

* * *

Emma was awakened not too far into a restless slumber by the faint sound of scratching near her chamber window. _What...is that? An animal? Do they have raccoons in the Enchanted Forest? _She heard something, _someone _fall to the ground with a slight _oof! _Attempting to lay low, she managed to peer out the bottom corner of the glass, her eyes widening at the sight of what could have been mistaken for a young bandit, or maybe a stable girl, but by the body alone, she knew it to be the Queen herself.

She watched as Regina crept towards the blanket of trees at the edge of the castle, where suddenly a shadow had emerged to join her. The two embraced for a moment, whispering excitedly to each other, but Emma was unable to make out anything they said.

Just as they turned to leave, another figure stepped in front of them, this time holding a lit torch. His face was easily recognizable: _King Leopold. _The shock on Regina's face was enough to make Emma's heart pound with dread, but for what...she wasn't quite sure.

She could hear the King near perfectly as he and three guards behind him moved in to block their escape.

"Do you really think your mother didn't warn me about you? Or that I don't know about your beloved soulmate?" Regina appeared to be shielding her companion, which Emma could see was a man dressed similar to her, a bow and leather satchel hanging off his shoulder. Leopold continued, "You should know by now that you can't hide anything from me, Regina. Especially when that pitiful diary of yours is so effortless to find."

The brunette's expression had changed to that of a helpless child. "Please…" she begged, though Emma could tell that it burned her to do so. "Please, let him go. Do what you want with me, just let him free. I promise never to see him again." The King seemed to be considering the thought, but the look in his eyes confirmed what Emma already knew, her extensive knowledge of body language presenting a completely different view of her grandfather than the one Snow had passed down.

"This will teach you obedience, my dear," he replied, chillingly calm, his eyes never losing their focus on Regina's. "It's the most important lesson you'll ever learn. You belong to me. You have no right to a happiness not of my choosing. In fact, you have no right to happiness at all. Unless I decide it. Otherwise, you will listen, and you will stay."

A breath of silence rested on the group, shattering almost immediately after Leopold spoke his last intended sentence in regards to the matter.

"Kill him," Regina cried out, both her and the man she was with wrestling to flee the grip of the guards attacking them, "and bring her to my chamber." Regina let out a shriek at that, a piercing scream that caused Emma to fling open the doors to her own chamber and race through the hallways of the castle, every step infusing her blood with more anger at the picture of 'family' offered her by her parents. _That man is no family of mine, _she growled. And all brief thoughts of a supposed non-interfering attitude might as well have gone right out that window with the very woman who needed her most, even in this separate realm: _Regina. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Super quick update! I literally couldn't stop writing before work this morning, so no waiting on this one. :)**

* * *

Emma's hurried footsteps echoed as she ran in the direction of the Queen's muffled cries. She was in the midst of being dragged to Leopold's chamber while he, Emma had no doubt, was probably still enjoying the private execution of Regina's...soulmate? _Wait, isn't that Robin? _Emma had barely been able to make out a silhouette, let alone identify the man as someone she knew. But if it was him, that meant that… _But that never happened! Robin's in Storybrooke, isn't he? Did I really change that much of the timeline simply by being here?_

Emma's heart broke to think of the possibility, of yet another hope being mercilessly yanked from her friend's desperate grasp. She vowed at that moment to find a way, somehow, to fix everything, to give Regina the happy ending she had truly earned later on.

She arrived at what she could assume was the King's bedchamber. Two armed men stood outside of it, while the distinct sound of a defiant female voice rang throughout. _How can no one else hear this? _Emma thought, and then paused to wonder if anyone would stand up for Regina in this land anyway. She'd hinted to Emma that even before she had taken to darkness, the kingdom was lost to her and her isolated existence. Emma figured this outburst wasn't a one-time occurrence, based solely on her own instincts growing up in several abusive foster homes, and the way she had seen Leopold speak to his queen - her reactions lining up perfectly with that of a domestic abuse victim. The fact that she had been trying to run off with Robin felt more like a plea for freedom than the fantasy of a cheating wife.

Emma crouched behind a large vase of flowers near the door, focusing on the electricity coursing through her center. It began to extend outward, slow at first, and as she aimed to release her magic at the guards, a great wave of it rushed back at her, with no apparent effect besides rendering her immediately unconscious.

* * *

Again, Emma awoke to scratching. She rose groggily. _What kind of hangover is this?_ Suddenly, the events of the previous evening flashed through her mind: Leopold, Robin, Regina..._Regina! _She shot out of her bed, her weakened limbs held down by the heavy cloth she'd been covered with.

"What are you doing, Emma?" She turned to see young Snow at the open chamber window, the source of the scratching revealed to be a small bird eating bits of feed from the palm of her hand. Snow rushed to Emma's side, holding her steady enough to balance herself against the wall. "You need to rest."

Emma managed a small smile.

"I'm fine. Please," she knelt down until she was at eye level with the girl, "can you tell me where the Queen is? Is she okay?" Snow's face beamed at the mention of her step-mother.

"Of course! She's at breakfast with my father. I offered to be your escort." Emma considered asking Snow if she had heard anything unusual last night, but dismissed the idea with the understanding that her mother seemed to think that Regina's dislike of palace life had entirely to do with her own individual preferences. She _was_ just a child after all.

"Off to breakfast then?" Snow nodded, grabbing Emma's hand and pulling her forward. They reached the entrance to the royal dining hall momentarily. Guided to a seat next to the Princess (and therefore, opposite Regina), she took note of the brunette's downcast gaze, her pursed lips, usually reserved for a disapproving comment, now adding to the eerie silence enveloping them.

"May I ask how you're feeling, my lady?" Leopold asked.

"Much better, your majesty. Thank you."

"We were rather worried this morning when a guard found you near my chambers. Fainted, apparently."

"Yes, I was looking for…," she searched her brain for the Fairy Tale equivalent of 'bathroom', but came up empty, "some water...and then I believe I felt strange, and then I must have collapsed. I deeply apologize for any trouble it may have caused you."

"Oh, it was no trouble at all. Snow, my dear, did you not sit by her all the while?" Snow grinned as if she had nursed Emma back to health from a terrible illness.

"I did! And Regina too!" Regina snapped her head up to shoot a glare at the girl.

"Really?" Leopold inquired, turning to his wife. She tried to avoid his stare and the implications behind it, that she had left the confines of her bedroom without the watchful eye of one of his men to follow her. "I encourage you to stay in your chambers the remaining part of the day, dear. You look quite weary, don't you think?"

Regina seemed about to shake her head in solemn agreement when Emma piped in.

"Your majesty, I know that I'm merely a guest and I would hate to impose, but could I perhaps be shown the stables? I have a particular interest in horsemanship, and your grounds are ideal for practice." If she had been questioned further, Emma couldn't have named a single thing in connection to this so-called 'particular interest' of hers, but it was another of the few tangible details she knew from Regina's shaded past.

"Regina can show you! Can't she, Father? She's always in the stables, and she saved me from my horse once! Remember?" The woman's eyes brightened a bit, though it appeared she dare not let the King notice. He was peering at Emma in a somewhat suspicious manner, but the look vanished as he replied,

"For our guest, anything."

After breakfast, Emma was instructed to meet the Queen at the back gate of the castle in half-an-hour's time. During which Snow suggested they bring her unwashed clothing to the laundry maids, replacing it with an outfit she'd seen before, recently, in fact. The same kind Regina had been wearing when she'd attempted to flee this place forever.

"Where did you get this?" She asked.

"Regina said to give it to you. She said you needed proper attire if you intended to ride today." Emma sighed. _This is it, _she told herself. The cracks in her persona were forming already, and she feared that if she stayed any longer, not only would she screw up Regina's past and everyone else's, but this new sympathetic feeling toward the woman she was about to be alone with might just push her to do something wholly catastrophic.


	5. Chapter 5

Queen Regina stood brushing the side of her cherished steed. Her quiet grace enraptured Emma, who had been practicing how she might begin to ask the young woman the basics of magical time travel. If she even knows, Emma thought. She realized that she had no idea when exactly Regina had set off to learn such things herself.

The brunette jumped back as Emma clumsily strut her way into the stable beside her, dropping the brush she held in the process. Emma stooped to pick it up, recalling several times her own Regina had acted in the same manner - easily startled by some unknown threat.

"Hey," she said, hands slightly raised to try to calm her.

"Is that how you speak to a royal?" Regina replied, scoffing at Emma's informal introduction.

"I'm sorry, your majesty. I - I…" _I won't hurt you, _she wanted to say.

"Yes…?" Regina tilted her gaze ever-so-condescendingly, Emma recognized the tactic.

"I'm grateful that you would...indulge my passion." _Well, that sounded weird. _She paused as Regina turned to her horse again, ignoring the somewhat impolite stare Emma was attempting to restrain. "For horses, I mean." _Even better, Swan. I definitely don't know what the hell I'm doing, _she grumbled to herself.

"Obviously…" Regina stated, as if she had heard the blonde's last sentiments. The awkward moment lingered until she continued, "Shall we get to it?"

"Of course, it's just that I...recently suffered an injury to my ankle, when the King's carriage brushed against me, and I'm afraid I won't be able to join you."

"Well, what do you suggest that we do then?" She appeared annoyed, to say the least, but not entirely closed to the possibility of simply being away from the castle, no matter the reason.

"If I could, I'd like to see him in action." Emma answered, pointing to the Queen's steed. The uncomfortable remembrance of Robin's untimely death still clawed at her 'savior sensibilities', and she knew that the consequence of delaying a solution would be too great to risk. However… _It's only an hour or so, to build some trust with her. I doubt she'd listen to me without it. _

Regina nodded, her gesture almost touching on the warmth between Emma and the present Mayor of Storybrooke. It pained her more than she'd expected, what they had shared, and how fragile it seemed after being so hard-won. _Please, let me do this right. Please, please, please, _she silently repeated.

She couldn't hide her genuine amusement at the proper little brunette climbing onto the back of her horse and galloping out into the open field. _Damn, she's really good! And really… _'Sexy' was the word Emma didn't allow to enter her mind, not quite, though the effects of it remained in the quickening of her pulse, the dilation of her pupils, the small sigh she let slip when the focus of her attention began to ride as if she had lost herself in it. _This is the place she feels free._

In fact, Emma may have been inclined to stay there, in that spot, for as long as she could if the horse hadn't suddenly bucked mid-jump, throwing the woman on it to the ground with a painful yelp. She sprinted to where Regina lay, biting her lower lip as if to keep from crying. The image melted her immediately, and she moved to help the brunette to her feet.

"Can you walk?" She asked. Regina shook her head.

"I don't think so." She looked defeated. _What a shitty couple of days it's been for you, _Emma concluded, but was unable to communicate her understanding.

"I guess I'll just have to carry you then." The Queen's expression was one of repugnant disbelief.

"You? Carry a...woah! Hey!" Before Regina could protest much further, Emma had scooped her up and was briskly walking the trail to the castle gate. "You're lucky I don't…"

"What? Cast a spell on me?" She'd meant it as banter, something her and the other Regina had gotten ridiculously adept at, but the shock in this woman's eyes made her stomach drop as she realized what she'd just said.


	6. Chapter 6

**Another short update, but I promise to post a much longer one within the next few days! Just been a lil busy with school/work/etc lately. 3**

* * *

Emma stared at the woman in her arms, astounded, Regina's frustrated shouts of "Let me go! I order you!" finally reaching the blonde as she set her on the ground. The moment she did, Regina had her fireball hand up and aimed. _Oh, boy, _Emma thought. Before she could explain herself, Regina had conjured a small flame, and was about to hurl it toward Emma when it flickered to a spark, then _poof! _

"Damn't!" The brunette exclaimed, glaring at the hand as if it were at fault.

"Look who needs lessons now…" Emma muttered, unable to keep from smirking.

"I could kill you, so don't play games with me, Emma Swan! If that's even your real name!"

"Listen," Emma replied, her voice becoming softer and a bit more stern, "I haven't lied to you." _Much, _she noted. "I do know that you have magic, but the only reason I do is because I have it too." Emma's mind flashed back to what had happened the last time she tried to use it.

"Prove it," Regina said. Emma paused, not knowing if it would do the same as it did before. She then did something she was pretty sure wouldn't work, not here, but..._what the hell? _Under the guise of steadying herself, she leaned on Regina's shoulder with one brush of her fingertips, her other hand immediately bringing forth a concentrated shimmer of light.

Regina's eyes widened in response. _Does she know about light and dark magic? _Emma wondered, doubting that the influence of Cora and probably Rumpel had allowed her the proper foundation of her inherent gift, especially when both had their own motivations for encouraging the latter of the two.

"Where did you come from?" Regina stammered, suddenly looking very much like the young girl she had once been.

Emma didn't know what to say, starting with,

"Well...it's complicated, but I swear to you that I mean you no harm." Her genuine manner seemed to quiet the Queen's supposed murderous instinct, and Regina offered her hand to the blonde.

"You can help me get to my chambers then."

"You can't heal yourself?"

"I'm not that far in my teaching."

"Yeah, me neither."

Both women gazed at each other, still somewhat wary, then moved to return to the castle gate.


	7. Chapter 7

"Regina!" Snow yelled, both hands over her open mouth. She scrambled to the side of the bed the young woman was lying in, whose ankle had been positioned on a few small pillows.

"Hey, she's alright, she just fell off -"

"Fell?" Regina, Emma, and Snow all looked to the doorway, where the King now stood. Regina's gaze froze at his sudden presence. She pushed herself so that she was sitting up, her movements uneasy.

"It was nothing. I just fell off my horse. You know how clumsy I can be sometimes."

Emma glanced at Snow, who nodded and whispered, "It's true, she's always got a random bruise. It's like she runs into _everything_." As much as Emma wanted to chalk it up to a practically-blind-without-contacts Regina (which she knew to be so in Storybrooke at least), prior evidence demanded an entirely different view.

"Well, it seems that you'll be confined to this room until you've properly healed then."

"Ooh! I can take care of her!" Snow shouted a bit too excitedly. Emma could see how Regina might grow weary of her mother's childhood desire to always be near her.

"Snow, my dear, do you recall that we'll be leaving for the northern kingdom tonight? I doubt our absence would be forgiven on such trivial grounds as this." Snow's eyes lowered in understanding, and Emma rolled hers slightly at thought of her grandfather being unable to leave the princess, but his queen… _Nahhh, no big deal apparently, you little piece of -_

"Emma can watch over me." The blonde was jolted out of her contempt by the sound of a familiar tone, _trust. _Whether out of instinct or pure desperation, she couldn't tell.

Leopold eyed Emma with a glance similar to the one he had given her that morning.

"How kind of you, my lady. I would be most grateful," he said. "Snow, would you ready your things for the trip?"

"Of course, father."

As the King left, Snow at his heels, Emma turned to the window for a moment, her mind racing through idea after idea, anything to further the plan to get back home. To her time, her family, _her Regina. _This one was breaking her heart. She felt crushed by the woman's helpless circumstance, and her inability to alter them. _I'm so sorry, Regina, _she thought. _I didn't know. _

"Thanks." The brunette's voice was soft, stripped of everything but its youthful tone. Emma continued to gaze out the window, afraid if she replied, her own voice would break with the desire to tell Regina all that she knew. _It won't always be like this. Someday you'll have a family, a real one. They'll know you and still love you. You'll have a son named Henry - our son. You'll love him more than you've ever loved anyone. You'll have so much to live for, Regina. So much… _

"I said thanks." A touch of annoyance made Emma smile. _Sounds a bit more like the woman I know. _

"Yeah, I heard, _your Majesty._ Just give me a sec to think this through."

"Think what through? You'll stay here and tell me all about where the hell you came from, or I'll…"

"What? Threaten me with your super deadly fire powers?" Emma rolled her eyes and laughed. "Pssh, how about I call you the next time I need a candle lit, oh, amazing-human-lighter!"

"Shhh!" Regina whispered loudly. "Wait, what's a lighter?"

Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes again as she headed toward the chamber doors.

"Don't make me beg you." Emma stopped and looked back at the woman calling to her. "Please." Regina appeared to be on the verge of tears, something Emma had seen a few times before, and each time it killed her to witness. "Alright, so maybe I don't know where you came from, or why you're here, or who you are, but you might be my only hope for freedom, my last chance." Emma glanced at the floor, torn between the knowledge that she could ruin both their futures in an instant, if she hadn't already, and the way that Regina's words affected her, completely.

"What do you want me to do?" Emma asked.

"Help me."


	8. Chapter 8

Emma shuffled down one hallway, then the next, frantically in search of a maid or servant to gather up some basic first aid supplies. Beneath the obvious surface-level worry, an undercurrent of dread had started to build. _Get home. _That had been the objective. There were no other options. _Get home, or risk changing everything. _And she feared by now she had done just that. Changed everything without meaning to, everyone's lives and the relationships they'd all worked so hard to maintain. _I'm such an idiot, _she thought to herself. _What have I done?_

It was then that she caught the sound of an immediately recognizable voice. Rumpelstiltskin's little high-pitched giggle shot through the door of a room near her, followed by the low whispering of another man. She tip-toed closer, until she was leaning against the door itself, and able to make out most of what they were saying.

"You'll do it then?" She heard the King ask.

"Keep your unhappy wife within her very own magically-enforced set of boundaries? Oh, yes, gladly," Rumpel replied. "I'll be requiring something in return, of course."

"What is it you want? Gold? Jewels?"

"I've no use for them. But my request should be easy enough." There was a pause, and Emma was afraid for a moment that Rumpel had sensed her presence. "You have a stranger in your midst, no?"

"Yes, a young woman. Does she matter?"

"Not to you, dearie. I would like you to keep her here, in this castle, for as long as I desire it."

"I believe that she has intentions related to the Queen, though I haven't been able to discern them or the location of the village she mentioned."

"However deliciously heartwarming your jealousy may be, I've no use for that either. Only your guards, and your word on this."

"You have it." Another quiet beat, in which Emma assumed the two were shaking hands. She took it as a sign to make a quick exit, hiding behind the edge of a wall a few feet away. She watched the King open the door and walk in the direction opposite her, toward his and the Princess' chambers.

She sighed_. Great. Absolutely friggin' awesome._


	9. Chapter 9

The Queen's chambers were full of warmth and light when Emma returned. A servant had lit the small fireplace at the foot of the bed, and the parted deep red curtains now revealed a clear, early evening horizon.

"Hey, you awake?" Emma called out gently as she spotted Regina lying on her side, face toward the windows. Her ankle was still propped up, and Emma could see the swelling that had formed around it. "Regina?"

"I'm awake, Swan," came her response. Emma smiled at the reference the brunette had unknowingly made to their future selves. _So I guess all that sarcasm was already there before the Evil Queen._

"Just checking, your majesty," Emma said, leaning on the edge of the fireplace mantel.

"Alright, enough with the royal speak, peasant." Regina moved herself so that she was sitting forward.

"So I'm a lowly peasant now, am I?"

"Well, unless you're actually a princess in disguise, that's what I'm assuming in regards to your mysterious past."

"You never know…," the blonde chuckled, then paused, the comfort in her gaze turning a shade darker.

"What?" Regina asked, noticing the look that had crossed the young woman's features. Emma's expression snapped back to one of alert concentration.

"Nothing."

"I know you're lying," Regina stated plainly.

"I am, but...not for any reason against you. I was remembering something."

"Something bad?"

"Sort of. I was thinking of my home. I need to get back there, soon, but I don't know how."

"You can't use magic to do it?" Emma shook her head at the inquiry, then shrugged.

"I don't have enough of it, or I guess I wouldn't be able to control it enough to do it."

"Why don't we help each other then?"

"How?" Emma asked.

"Help me leave this kingdom forever, and I'll find some way to help _you_ make it home again."

_This is a bad idea,_ Emma thought. _But what more damage could I do? At least with Regina's help, I might end up back in Storybrooke before Rumpel can go through with whatever he's planning._

"Deal."

Regina looked suddenly relieved. She moved to adjust her foot and winced, obviously still in pain from the fall.

Emma, who had only managed to find linen and a bit of cold water, rushed to assist her. She gestured at Regina's ankle, as if to receive permission to touch her at all, and Regina nodded in return.

"Yes?" Emma said, almost teasingly, after a full minute or so of Regina's eyes searching her over, again and again, like a dream she was trying to wake herself from. Emma had examined the brunette's ankle, wrapped cloth soaked in cool water around it, and placed it in its upright position on the pillows once again. Regina lowered her eyes.

"Nothing," she muttered. Emma smiled slightly.

"Now you're lying to me."

Regina lifted an eyebrow, but then, unable to muster a one-liner out of nowhere, she sighed and relented.

"I feel...I feel like I know you. I don't know how, but I feel like we're connected."

Emma kept her expression neutral, attempting not to let it show that Regina was onto something. Whatever it was, she wasn't quite sure herself. _Can people with magic sense this kind of stuff?_ She wondered. She tried to dismiss the idea without being too conspicuous about it.

"Maybe we were meant to meet? Anything's possible, I guess."

"Yeah," Regina said quietly, her memory leading her to a place Emma didn't yet know how to reach. "That's what they say."


End file.
